The ring
by Setrus
Summary: Morrigan is out on deep waters. The law of nature, what she lives by, doesn't seem to apply to her companions, one in particular. Nor does she have the control of herself that she once had, all because of one man... PC/Morrigan


She did _not_ _care_.

Grumbling she sat down, hands reaching out to be warmed by the fire before her. Next to her Flemeth's grimoire lay, momentarily forgotten, a sarcastic part of her mind chuckled at her, finding her change of attention to something that wasn't about power and survival amusing.

The words would not leave her alone, echoing in her skull, taunting her. _I'm glad to see you care_...the words hadn't been meant as teasing her...had they? She hadn't gotten that impression but...gah this was impossible! How could one speak so frankly and still make another confused beyond recovery!?

Stupid...innocent....fool!

Who was she insulting?

Frowning Morrigan studied her hands, there was still a bit of dark blood under her fingernails after Daylen's little...performance. Not that he seemed to have minded, in fact, he seemed to have liked it if the grunts had been any indication...

Why was she smiling?

"Gah!" Morrigan hissed, biting back a curse as she realised she was about to burn herself on the fire.

_I can live with that_...he had said with a shrug afterwards, one of those little smiles playing on his lips. She had appreciated that, it made things easier, yet apparently her mind didn't think it should be that easy...at times she couldn't help but wonder if Flemeth had left some sort of spirit on her shoulder, a spirit that whispered words meant to make her hesitate.

Of course that was just silly, this was all her doing, and _his_...that damn...whatever.

Feeling her shoulders tense Morrigan shot a look over at the main part of the camp. Daylen was standing in front of the fire, the shadows turning his robe black, at the moment he seemed busy...laughing with Alistair? Morrigan snorted, they were probably sharing another of those inane jokes...how such an obviously intelligent man could actually enjoy the templar fool's company was beyond her.

Heck, Daylen's intelligence was one of the few upsides to this...excursion of theirs, it made for some interesting conversations at least, far better than the preachy singer or the equally preaching old coot. And far better than Alistair's 'wit'! Spirit's she hated that man...and even as she watched she was baffled as the man said something that made Daylen laugh.

Was it just some act? She knew Daylen could talk people into doing just about anything, was he just coddling Alistair? Making him feel needed despite the man being...himself? Then again he seemed to do that to everyone...he even humoured Leliana's maker talk with a seriousness that surprised the better-knowing Morrigan.

She liked that thought, that he just manoeuvred himself among them, making them trust him so they would do what he needed them to do. It was ruthless and commendable, yet...if he really did that...Morrigan bit her lower lip, cursing herself as something...wormed around in her stomach. She felt like that little girl going out in the world of man again, baffled and...even frightened by what she couldn't understand.

No, she shook her head, making her mind up, he was not acting. Not the best actor could keep it up forever, he actually liked the others, helped them, no matter who they were. It was confusing, how could one so intelligent and, who despite being raised in the sheepish circle, critically thinking man be liked and like the others back so....irrevocably? Perhaps he really was a trusting fool?

Then again that trusting weakness was probably the only thing keeping him from throwing her out...and to be fair she had overheard him defending her presence to the others more than once. So maybe trusting wasn't always all that bad, if that was what he _really_ was...

It was...thought-provoking.

_I'm glad to see you care_...

"Oh for crying out...!" Morrigan hissed, hands coming up to conceal her face. "I do not _care_ you stupid...great, talking to myself now?" She shot a glare towards the mage now sauntering over to Sten, how he had gotten the giant to open up was beyond her understanding... "I don't _care_."

She merely intended to keep him safe with that ring, it had been little effort to make the enchantment, it had been a small one after all. Why would he read anything else out of it?

Did these people living out of the wilds automatically assume that just because you enjoyed someone's _extremely_ agile tongue, or the way he could make your skin catch fire with but a soft touch mean that you _cared_!? Maybe she just wanted some simple pleasure? Was that too far a stretch for these unimaginative people? Animals did it all the time after all...why couldn't she?

Not that Daylen had actually said anything about that silly thing they called love...ugh..._love_...the very word taunted everything Morrigan believed in. But still, had there ever been a question in those smiling eyes? A...tenderness? Maybe there had...hadn't there? Not as if she really _cared_...but it could pose a problem later.

She _didn't_ care!

As she watched the mage nodded, his face solemn as he said something while patting Sten on the shoulder, the giant warrior allowing the touch with a nod of his own. _Tsk_...no doubt their intrepid leader had once again made some foolish promise that he'd no doubt somehow follow through with and come off all the better for it.

How did he _do_ that!?

It went against Morrigan's every belief! To just help someone for the sake of helping! To risk your own hide for something that wasn't strictly necessary! To help others, not because of some great reward, but simply because you _could_! It was risky and foolish! Yet this man continued to do just that at every turn...and he usually _gained_ something from it! Frustrating her beyond words!

Maybe she should ask him about it? Try to find out his trick?

Then again he would probably insist that it was no trick and that his deeds was reward enough, probably while mentioning something about challenging your boundaries or something in that area...and she would have to feign amusement as she pondered his words, trying to understand.

How a person so different from yourself could still..._fascinate_ you was remarkable.

She knew he cared, his questions always lead to more questions...and there had been sympathy in some of them. Not that she cared about his caring...

Ha!

Frowning she cursed the cynical part of her mind that just didn't want to shut up. These...thoughts had ceased to be amusing for the last half an hour! Not that _they_ seemed to care.

Then she heard song.

Looking up from her thoughts she saw Leliana, the preachy little chantry puppet, sing straight out. Shaking her head Morrigan grabbed a stick to push into her fire, foolish little girl...what was that language anyway? She didn't recognise it, it seemed so...sad...yet...

She blinked, the song was...she had to admit, quietly of course...nice. It was oddly...comforting. Looking up she found Leliana stand by the fire, her song obviously affecting the men by the fire, even Sten seemed a little softer...and Daylen had an _enraptured_ look on his face!?

Whatever effect the song had had disappeared right there and then, Morrigan's mood souring to the point of hatred, that _whore_!

Wait...what? Morrigan shook her head, that was just stupid, it was a stupid song, the stupid mage enjoyed it, nothing important. Stupid...but not important. _Stupid_...

She didn't care!

"Wow, you look...angry?" Morrigan flinched at the words and realised Daylen was standing right in front of her, arms to his side as he viewed her with a...worried gaze was it? _Fool_.

"Angry am I? Now why would you think me angry?" Morrigan asked, making her voice sound sweet. Of course that observant little prick no doubt saw through it...

The man shrugged, another of those _damn_ smiles on his lips. "I don't know, there is much with the apostate culture I don't understand, perhaps I merely misread that sour look of yours? Perhaps it means...you're cold?"

"Apostate...culture? What _do_ they teach you over in that tower of yours?" Morrigan asked, eyebrow raised, what was his angle _this_ time? Was he trying to calm her down? Soothe her anger? Well forget that! Not that she cared....gah!

"Well, _you_ said you found much of the world of man confusing, so surely I can be forgiven if I'm trying to be careful and not step on any cultural presumptions you might have?"

"I don't have presumptions." Morrigan sneered, determined to stay angry, which was made all the easier by that foolish grin of Daylen's. No doubt he was sure he could turn her frown upside down...ugh, Alistair was rubbing off on her.

"Oh well, then I shall assume you're happy as peaches." Daylen shrugged, still smiling as he took a step forward. Then he gestured towards the rest of the camp. "Did you like the song?"

"It was tolerable." Morrigan admitted, rolling her eyes. "If one is..._into_ that sort of thing."

Daylen chuckled as he reached down, and to her surprise, Morrigan reached up to let him haul her to her feet. "A little bit of culture is never wrong, it's educating if nothing else. I must admit I found it quite moving."

"I _noticed_."

"Ah."

"Ah? What do you mean _ah_?"

The man held up his hands in surrender, face that of innocence itself. "Nothing at all, merely noting you noticing, it's quite cute." A smile pushed itself through the façade. "You _noticing_ me I mean. It's quite impressive that you can focus on me when hearing such a beautiful piece of lyrics."

Morrigan managed a laugh. "Of course, typical male, interpreting anything as a complement."

"Oh how you scorn me!" Daylen laughed. "Perhaps you've already tired of my company?"

"Perhaps I have." Morrigan replied, trying, and failing, to sound uncaring.

"Hmm, well we can't have the beauty of the camp bored now can we?" Daylen noted, slightly amused. "Perhaps I shall summon Alistair? He has this hilarious anecdote about this other warden-"

"Please! Anything but him!" Morrigan held her hands up before her in a gesture of defence, a smile, despite her efforts, creeping up on her. "Why would you do such a thing to me!?"

"Well if you'll not happy with that I guess my company will just have to do, now won't it?" Daylen was closer, that infuriating smile refusing to leave his lips. "Or perhaps you wish to be alone?"

"Perhaps I do." Morrigan muttered, very aware that her defences were slipping...how did he _do_ that!? She looked away, suddenly feeling very silly, dammit...she _didn't_ care... "Perhaps I wish to be alone and contemplate the foolishness of cultured fops as yourself?"

"Perhaps foolishness in general would be better?" Daylen mumbled, a large hand cupping Morrigan's hand and forcing her to look at him. _Forcing_! As if she was...what was that softness in his eyes? "Foolishness...throughout the ages?"

"A-are you calling me foolish?" Morrigan hesitated, frozen to the spot. What was he doing!?

"I don't know, aren't we all fools in the eyes of the maker?"

"Now I know you're-"

Hand in hair, another around her waist, lips on her lips...agile....tongue... Morrigan actually felt her mind stop working.

It was over far quicker than she'd wanted it to be, it always was, and it always..._always_ left her drained to the bone. Daylen was smiling at her, it wasn't the charming on though, it was...more careful. "Yes...foolishness..." He shook his head. "Are you sure you haven't cast some spell over me? It...I don't like playing the fool."

_Him_ the fool!? Morrigan couldn't bring herself to answer, instead she mutedly watched as Daylen brought something out of his robes and handed it to her, it was cold and light... "I found this...thought you might like it." He didn't wait for her to look down at the gift, instead he merely turned and walked away, steps heavy.

Blinking Morrigan looked down at what he'd given her, then gasped, not at her reflection, but at the...he'd remembered that!? It looked just like the mirror she'd lost...it was practically the same, still so _beautiful_...spirits...why!? She felt a jab in her chest, painful yet sweet..

Morrigan bit her lip as she watched the man walk away, her left hand shooting up to stop the right one from reaching out for him. Dammit! What was wrong with her?! "Foolish.." She hesitated, worried what would happen if she spoke it out loud. "...girl."

Dammit....she _cared_.


End file.
